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Frank McCourt's spinning Dodgers wheels got to go 'round

December 23, 2011 | 1:17
pm

Yeah, so?

What was all that about? Were heart palpitations really supposed to be in jeopardy over whether the Dodgers were able to sell their post-2013 TV rights along with the team? In a sale that was completely non-binding to the new owner? That offered absolutely no motivation to Fox to seriously participate in a new bidding?

Apparently it was significant enough to Frank McCourt to spend more costly court dollars he doesn’t really have, but Friday’s U.S. District Court ruling placed a stay on his selling the media rights and is likely to end all the curious hubbub.

The McCourt theory was supposedly that he could receive a higher amount for the auction of his team if the bidders knew how much the new media rights deal were worth.

Hey, these are bright boys preparing to bid on the bankrupt Dodgers. I think they can kind of determine what the going rate will be, at least as close to reality as any non-binding agreement will be. Safe to say, it will be higher than the estimated $3 billion deal McCourt had agreed to with Fox that was turned down by Commissioner Bud Selig.

ESPN/LA’s Jon Weisman called it "much ado about nothing,"and how do you argue with that? The Times’ Bill Shaikin reports the appeal is scheduled to be heard Jan. 11, and if the judge upholds his Friday decision as expected, that will end that.

Whoever the new owner is, he’s going to want to negotiate his own fat TV deal, which McCourt, the judges, the potential bidders and every guy on the street understands.

Now can we just get on with the sales process and have the team sold in a reasonable orderly fashion?